Famous Volcanoes

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At any time there are about 20 volcanoes actively erupting around the world, and about 50-70 volcanoes have erupted in the last year or so. There are a total of 550 volcanoes that have erupted in all of recorded history. Some of these active volcanos are extremely famous, often because of a tremendous loss of life. Here’s a list of some famous volcanoes:

Caribbean

Mount Pelee – A stratovolcano on the island of Martinique that killed more than 30,000 people during an eruption in 1902.

Chimborazo – This dormant stratovolcano is the highest point in Ecuador, and actually the most distant point from the center of the Earth.

Cayambe – Another dormant stratovolcano in Ecuador. It’s the third tallest peak in the country.

Greece

Thera – The volcano that devastated the island of Santorini; one of the most powerful volcano eruptions in recorded history.

Indonesia

Krakatoa – This used to be an island in the Sunda Strait near the island of Java. It exploded in 1883 creating one of the largest eruptions in recorded history.

Mount Tambora – A stratovolcano on the island of Sumbawa in Indonesia. It exploded in 1815 producing the most powerful eruption in recorded history.

Mount Merapi – An active volcano in Indonesia, on the island of Java near the city of Yogyakarta. It’s so active that ash is almost constantly coming out the top of the volcano, and it has had several recent devastating eruptions.

Italy

Mount Etna – An active volcano on the Island of Sicily. It’s in an almost constant state of eruption, with huge ash clouds visible from the island.

Mount Vesuvius – A dangerous volcano near Italian city of Naples. It’s most famous for the devastating eruption in AD 79 that destroyed the towns of Pomeii and Herculaneum.

Mount Stromboli – An active volcano just off the coast of Sicily. It has been constantly erupting for the last 2,000 years or so.

Japan

Mount Fuji – The iconic Japanese stratovolcano – the highest point in Japan.